Monsters
by dashh
Summary: As a Big Sister, all Emily Miller has known for ten years was whatever her brain was programmed to know.  With the recent drastic drop in the number of little Sisters, Emily is sent on a hunt that'll leave her twisted life reeling in an all new direction.
1. Rounds

The dirty and decrepit, glass domed infirmary was in disorder. Not the loud and out-of-control kind of disorder, but the quiet, nerve-wracking, fearful kind. The occupants all understood what had happened, what had _been _happening.

The space beneath the glass ceiling held no furniture save for several beds lined up against the walls on either side. That is, if you could even call them beds. The metal frames were coated almost entirely with rust, the threadbare mattresses themselves were all but fundamentally unusable; stained beyond recognition, littered with holes and gashes, and terribly lumpy from uncomfortably uneven springs. They were bare; no sheets, pillows, or even a small blanket to comfort their occupants.

The room itself was beyond unsanitary, showing obvious signs of ten years of absolute neglect. The soiled floors were spattered with blood, worn, and rotted. The glass windows which served as part of the roof and walls were smeared and dirty, the visibility through which was all but completely diminished.

Such was the environment within the walls of Rapture. A whole decade of hell had degraded the once great city, years and years ahead of it's time, into something that was nothing short of a desolated wasteland ravaged by death, insanity, and inhumanity. The city was in ruins. The occupants: equally destroyed.

Scattered around the infirmary were twelve scrawny young girls who, not surprisingly enough, fit in just perfectly with their surroundings. They were clothed in nothing but tattered dresses tainted with numerous bloodstains. Their feet were bare, the skin of which was completely hidden beneath layers and layers of the same matter that covered their dresses. Yet more crimson stains could be seen over the remainder of their small bodies. Their hair, matted tangled and dirty, was tied back in ponytails adorned with bows just as tattered as their clothing.

Their eyes, sunken into pale, gaunt faces and framed by dark circles, let off an eerie, haunting yellow glow.

The Little Sisters spoke in hushed undertones as a larger figure moved among them. Even their voices were spine chilling, accented by an unnerving metallic undertone. Some stood, some sat, some were nervously fidgeting with their ADAM needles rather than watch the others. One sat cross-legged on her grimy bed, hugging a Big Daddy doll.

One sister, Cindy, walked up to the larger figure, tugging at the armored palm with both of her own tiny grubby and blood-coated hands.

"Big Sister?" The teenaged sister turned, Cindy's gaze was met with the green-lit porthole that obscured the Big Sister's face. "Camille, Mary, and Melinda aren't here. Did they disappear too? Like the others?" She paused, her bottom lip quivering, "Are they angels now?"

The elder sister didn't have time to answer before the infirmary doors slid open, revealing yet another slender adolescent clad in the same kind of armored diving suit. The second Big Sister cocked her head, quickly performing a visual sweep over the little ones before her, and then addressing her peer which stood among them.

"Okay Masha, just cut to the chase. How many are missing this time?" Her flat voice was muffled by the diving helmet, but you could still make out the same kind of creepy undertone as the younger sisters, though it had apparently faded a bit over the years. While her natural voice deepened, the unnatural underside of it heightened in tone, making it a bit more intelligible as the two sides grew more similar to each other. Nonetheless, it was still very clear and easy to make out.

"Three." Masha let go of Cindy's hands, turning toward the figure in the doorway. "Emily, who's turn is it to go now?"

"Mine."

Masha nodded her head. "They were gathering in Siren Ally." Her voice, like Emily's, was flat and emotionless. Both girl's had lost their humanity years ago. More than half a lifetime of experiments, splicing, feeding off of the dead, brainwashing, and later on, killing had seen to that. The only reason they kept their audible voices rather than being stuck with grunts and yells like their male counterparts was due to the fact that, like the Little Sisters, which they once were themselves, they could heal any damage done to them. Modifying their voice boxes in any way would only result in having the organs repair themselves.

Emily didn't reply. Her face, however, held a smirk which was hidden from view by her helmet.

_This will be fun..._

Her right hand twitched. She always loved entering the main city. In the city, there were splicers, crazy blood thirsty splicers that either wanted a piece of her, or ran in fear. Both were satisfactory; she was either feared, or she was given to chance to fight. Both were fun.

Emily's helmet bobbed up and down as she nodded, and then she was gone. There was a quick succession of hurried footsteps from above the Little Sisters, dust detached itself from what bit of the ceiling didn't consist of glass. Clouds of it rained down upon the ungroomed tangles of hair as Emily dashed across the roof. In the blink of an eye, she was sprinting down the decimated hallway.

She had a job to do; and she would greatly enjoy it as it was getting done.

**There we have chapter one. I sure hope you enjoyed it ^_^. If you ask me, I think I tend to overdo descriptions and adjectives :x. I like opinions, noww, rate! 3**


	2. Headhunt

**Alright, be prepared for some, erm, pointless rambling? I swear, the next chapter's gonna be funner. ahaha**

Emily's lithe form, encased in its signature diving suit, slowly stepped into the airlock chamber. She flexed her fingers, her heart beating steadily. In the back of her head, she felt a small bit of caution tug at her thoughts. It was the closest thing to fear she had felt in years. Big Sisters were usually devoid of all emotion, except rage, it did nothing but interfere with their duties. Instead, she simply thought of what became of the other's who had tried to put a stop to this menace.

They died.

Who's to say the same fate won't befall her?

Emily contemplated this fact as the chamber filled with frigid seawater. She thought of the battle she was soon to face. She'd fought off Alpha Series before, all had gone insane by now, attacking anything that moved. But this one...somehow...he was stronger. He seemed to be unstoppable.

She could take him. The smirk returned. She would put him down, stop this madness. No more Little Sisters would become his victims.

She will put him down, like all others who stood in her way.

The outside airlock door opened, and Emily was faced with a rock wall. However the ground was trembling, the wall itself lowering into the sea floor. She stood still, watching as the world beyond the rock face slowly revealed itself. In front of her was an oxyfill station, the secret Fontaine Futuristics test labs, and of course, the hidden underwater cave which was unknown to the greater majority of Rapture's population. Emily stepped out, opting to avoid the tireless commute through the secret cavern, and instead lept up the top ledge.

From here, there was a limited view of the some of Rapture's towering buildings. The lights within several sections had long since been extinguished, whole chunks missing from some of the spires, some of the glass tubes connecting them entirely collapsed. The districts that were still functional cast and eerie glow down upon the equally eerie Big Sister. She thoughtlessly eyed the city, and the hulking form of a whale shark which was sluggishly moving through the towers. Somewhere in the back of her long since distorted mind, she felt a pang on nostalgia. One memory broke through her brainwashed intellect.

She was six, traveling in a bathysphere with her parents, watching the city lights as they passed by.

_This place used to be so beautiful._

That had been the last night with her parents.

Her mind viciously snapped itself back to "reality", the feeling gone as quickly as it came as her brain rewired itself to the proper train of thoughts.

_Find Delta. Kill him._

The spot where she'd been standing was swiftly replaced by a cloud of swirling sand. Emily was sailing through the water, her limber form bounced from rock to rock, propelling herself towards the city. Rushing past her were crumbled buildings, forests of kelp and other glowing plants, and rusted, neglected pipelines. She rounded a corner, and the airlock door of Siren Ally came into view. Emily relaxed her muscles, gracefully dropping down from the ledge just above the entrance. The door slid downwards as it sensed her presence.

_You need to focus for this... _Bubbles surrounded her. The water level dropped. _This will be nothing like fighting off a gang of angry splicers. Or even a crazed Big Daddy. Oh no, this will be something all on it's own._ She still kept her logical thinking, even if that aspect had become as sick as everything else in this hellish city.

With the chamber drained, the second doorway slid into the floor. Emily's eyes were instantly drawn towards a grisly sight.

The limp body of a young girl was lying face down and motionless in a puddle of her own blood, just two feet from a vent. Emily stared, her look of disgust masked by the spherical diving helmet. In just three steps she was beside the girl, turning her onto her back. Emily recognized her instantly: Melinda Jelenski.

Like fire spreading along a pool of gasoline, she felt white hot rage erupt within her and spread through every inch in her body. She stood, stepping forward slowly but deliberately. Her anger cleared her mind, focused it on nothing but her goals, helped her lay her thoughts out clearly and calculate more effortlessly.

Such was the monster she had become.

Her helmet switched to red. Her hands balled into fists. Her heart began pumping steadily faster. Her right foot, finding itself blocked by a dead Leadhead, simply smashed the corpse's skull across the grimy floor.

Her screech erupted from her throat only a second later, and she began running. Delta will now know she was coming.

Scenery rushed by in a blur as Emily dashed like lightening toward her target, flying past ruined buildings, collapsed hallways, and surprised splicers alike. She sniffed, then screeched again.

Big and Little Sisters had a keen sense of smell when it came to ADAM and, judging by the strength of the scent reaching Emily, this certain armored monster was sporting a lot of it. She could quite literally smell him from a mile away.

Perhaps that's why he posed such a threat. Having the unexplained ability to conquer over anything standing in your way had more perks in this city than just bragging rights. The protectors he faced would all die by his hands, and their Little Sisters, well he put them to use. That's more ADAM than all others in Rapture could afford. And down here ADAM is key to survival.

Emily's mouth opened again, however her third scream died in her throat as the ground beneath her lurched violently. Instead, she let out an angry grunt as she was thrown off her feet, sliding along her stomach across the rotten surface. The momentum from her flight through the red light district refused to die even as her armor scraped against wood, leaving a track of carved floors in her wake.

In just the span of a heartbeat after her tumble, Emily forced herself onto her side, clawing at the ground with her metal-coated hand. Five miniature fissures followed as her fingers dug into the boards.

She was skill skimming at dangerous speeds when her back met the concrete wall.

Dust and broken glass rained down as a dull pain overtook the majority of her consciousness, and Emily forced herself to stay awake as her vision blurred. With a metallic grunt, she immediatly forced herself out of the long dent her impact left in the stone wall, rolling on her stomach and shakily rising to her feet, keeping her injured back at a hunch. With the severe throbbing that now coursed through her whole body, it was all Emily could do to keep from dropping to the ground again.

She staggered forward, mind still focused solely on her mission. _Find Delta._ An earsplitting pained snarl erupting from her throat as she popped her spine back into place. _Kill Subject Delta_. Every movement brought a new wave of torment, however, a warm sensation had already began to overtake her as the injuries began healing themselves.

Three arduous steps later, a previously unheard sound reached Emily's ears. She stopped suddenly, omitting the rogue Big Daddy from her thoughts for the first time since her hunt began.

_Waves?_

There was no mistaking that sound. In Rapture, flash flooding was always more than imminent. Emily herself had thus far been the victim of two failings of the safeguards that held back the pressure of the sea.

The crashing suddenly erupted from behind her, and Emily turned just in time to see the small wall of water round the corner. It wasn't much, though it was enough to knock her right back off her feet.

With a grunt, ignoring the pangs of pain that shot up her limbs, the Big Sister bounced into the air. Now flying upwards toward the side of the nearest building, Emily braced herself for impact. Her fingers wrapped around a bar stretching across the top end of a smashed window. The soles of her feet followed, crashing into wall on either side. With a quick glance down below, she watched as the icy seawater washed over where she had been standing just milliseconds ago.

Still wasting no time, Emily pushed off from the rotted wall, aiming higher still. Her needle arm reached out, grabbing at the ledge jutting out from the roof just across from her previous perch. Once again two metal feet collided with the side of the building and, much to the sister's frustration, the weakened boards beneath her right foot gave way under the force of impact. Emily's metallic grunt of surprise drowned out the sounds of the shattering wall, her leg now buried up to the knee in splintered wood.

With an air of hurried annoyance, her one free foot pushed against the paneling, her arms pulling upward. With the Big Sister's cat-like reflexes and rushed disposition, the trapped limb was removed from the hole and the rest of her body, with the help of a kick off the still intact sections of the wall, was hoisted onto the roof and tearing off toward the other side before anyone else would have even grasped what had happened.

The gap between her current building and the one across the street, now replaced by the arctic North Atlantic currents, was cleared with one well-aimed jump to a single eroded column, and another leap across the water-logged streets to the top of the decaying building, now flooding rapidly.

From the other side, came the all-too-familiar roar of an angry Alpha Series. Emily twitched with excitement: just one more momentary delay before she reached her target. Her legs began moving again, speeding across the rooftop. Her hands clenched and unclenched in anticipation, a coating of fire inching across the armor.

She reached the edge, stopping short. There was Delta. The hulking armored monster was fighting against the river of water, unaware of her presence. Emily's eyes narrowed and her unseen face twisted to a snarl, one last earsplitting shriek escaped her throat, porthole glowing an angry red, and the armored adolescent sprung in the air with fire flying from her hands. A yell of surprise rattled off the walls, heard clearly even over the roar of the water, and the two creatures locked gazes as the girl landed cat-like in the middle of a second-story bridge just above where Delta was sloshing through the water.


	3. Faceoff

**Alright, chapter three. Unfortunately my muse has been killed, toooo much shit going on right now. I'll try to wrestle with it the best I can though.**

**Anywhoo, Hope you enjoy ^_^**

**(I need to work on longer chapters...)**

* * *

A sizable machine gun was whipped out and aimed, and Emily jumped forward as round after round snaked by. Hands raised, two more fireballs were thrown as she catapulted herself towards the Big Daddy.

Just as Emily was preparing to knock Delta onto his back, the butt of the machine gun met the side of her head.

Woefully unprepared, the girl was batted off to the side like a baseball. Her head spun, eyesight blackening. Bubbles and blood vessels clouded her vision. The sister hadn't even notice hitting the water, or coming to a rest on the flooded floor after yet another sliding episode. Her ears, throbbing in unison to her brain, picked up the distinct sound of bullets slicing through water.

Gritting her teeth, Emily sprang back to her feet just as two or three of the slugs penetrated her suit, embedding themselves in her left calf. Delta was already charging, bloodstained drill outstretched and revving. The Big Sister darted forward herself, ignoring the stinging bullet wounds, and leaping in the air at the more hulking diving suited form. The two collided, accompanied by the spine-chilling scrapes of clashing metal. With a skilled, lithe twist of her torso Emily avoided the over-sized drill. Two armored hands grasped at the Big Daddy's helmet and two feet were planted on the chest, knees bent and ready. Emily kicked off, sending Delta flying backwards, sliding along the floor with a monstrous splash.

The sister wasted no time as she rapidly tore off to the left, leaping up and scaling the side of the nearest building, using whatever she could as footholds and handles. Distance was key here, and she knew it. As she was pulling herself to the top, a roar erupted from behind her. Only a millisecond later, something _big_ embedded itself into her backside.

Yet another of her signature, unpleasant shrieks sounded over the waves. Emily stumbled on her footholds, slipping, almost falling. Her arms did all the work of pulling herself back up. Hurriedly, she dropped herself off the ledge, knees bent, she turned her head around as best she could as her arm shot for the source of her pain.

_What the...is that a fucking **spear**?_

Indeed it was, and that wasn't all. The end was lit, sizzling...

The explosion came immediately. In fact, it was about the very second Emily laid eyes on the blasted, over-sized stick. Flying forward, the Big Sister was sent skidding across the surface below her for the third time. This time though, she didn't wait until a standstill before rising from the ground. Still sliding, Emily planted her hands, somersaulting to her feet.

From down below, Delta could be heard stomping and splashing through the water, two soft _pops_ reached the Big Sister's ears, followed by two grenades arcing themselves onto the rooftop. Emily threw the pair of explosives off to the side with her telekinetic grip before rushing forward without a look back at where they landed.

With a small hop, she mounted herself onto the ledge, just in time to spot yet another grenade rising from the open tube of the launcher. With a simple flick of a wrist the direction was reversed and Delta, now half submerged in a rushing river of water, grunted upon explosion.

The machine gun reappeared. With a small screech, Emily lept from her perch, bouncing from crumbling ledge to column to near collapsed bridge to avoid the spray of bullets. She reached another rooftop, letting loose three flaming orbs before continuing her mad dash around the compound. Delta was moving, climbing up a staircase as he whipped out a heavily modded shotgun with one hand, and shot streams of lightening with the other. His first attempt was dead on. Emily shrieked as electricity coursed through her, silently cursing her single least favorite plasmid.

Completely immobilized, the Big Sister felt first one, then two, then three painful slugs pierce her armor. Each delivered a shock of its own.

_Damn weapon mods. All those stupid "Power to the People" things are next on my hit list._

Gritting her teeth against the pain, Emily forced through the paralyzing effects and threw herself off the roof, momentarily out of range, and onto the flooded streets below. Taking just a second to compose herself, she hastily broke the water's surface. On a bridge above her stood Delta, Electro-Bolt Plasmid still coating his left hand.

Emily quickly realized her mistake. Without time to think on where exactly to go, she simply shot straight up just as a stream was fired at the rapids. Blue arcs of electricity coated the water's surface. An old gas tank caught her eye, and Emily grabbed it, telekinetically throwing it at the Big Daddy, who was in the middle of firing another shell from his shotgun. The two projectiles collided in midair with a mighty explosion. The blast forced the decending Big Sister backwards, and Subject Delta himself was thrown from the bridge, the railing giving up beneath his hefty form.

The two adversaries crashed on either side of the room. After just a second of composure they lept up, eyed each other through blood red portholes and simultaneously charged through the raging surf, drill and needle raised.

The ground shook. Emily stumbled. A fiercely spinning drill began digging into her side.

Another earsplitting shriek, and Delta was kicked away. The injured Big Sister jumped back to the second story of the compound, barely able to heave herself up thanks to her injuries. She was losing this fight. She couldn't even heal fast enough.

Two more paralyzing shells hit her, followed by more sparking spears. The Big Sister ripped one out, screaming, her throat going raw. Two more replaced it.

Her vision tinted with red, she dislodged yet another spear just as a second gas tank caught her eye. One hand wrapped itself around a third rocket spear, the other gestured. She couldn't even aim right, however an angry roar signified that Delta had, at least, been hit by the concussion of the blast.

With a snarl, Emily heaved at the third spear to no avail. It exploded while while embedded in her abdomen, forcing her backwards. The others followed.

The armored form flew limply into the floods behind her.

Once again Emily lay on the ground, submerged and delirious._ I'm...finished? _ Anger coursed through her at the thought. _No!_ He had to kill Delta, she _couldn't fail_. The Big Sister forced herself to a stand, icy waters enveloping half her body. She couldn't see, couldn't even feel anymore. Was she even standing?

One shape stood out: Delta. Now standing where she had just been flung from. The shocking sensation that followed told her he'd used that Electro-Bolt Plasmid on her again. Machine gun rounds followed.

Still fighting, Emily fired one single fireball, not even noticing the ceiling high wall of water that was bearing down on them both.

The force knocked her backwards, threw her against the wall, and at long last her mind gave out.

* * *

Blackness...Lots of blackness.

Upon awakening, the Big Sister was strapped down.


End file.
